Vehicle

ABSTRACT

A golf car includes a floor panel between front wheels and rear wheels. The floor panel includes first and second panels. An opening is provided in the second panel. A groove communicates with the opening, and is continuous from the second panel to the first panel. The groove is covered by a lid. External air from the groove is supplied by a fan into a shroud which covers a cylinder body and also into a muffler cover which covers a muffler. External air from an air intake duct, which faces the groove, is cleaned by an air cleaner and then supplied into the engine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to vehicles, and more specifically to avehicle including an engine.

2. Description of the Related Art

JP-A 2008-44551 and JP-A H8-268087 disclose examples of a conventionaltechnique in this field.

JP-A 2008-44551 discloses an off-road four-wheel vehicle engine-roomcooling structure, wherein the off-road four-wheel vehicle includes acabin, which houses an operation section and a seat, between aleft-and-right pair of front wheels and a left-and-right pair of rearwheels; and an engine room inside the cabin or at a location morerearward than the cabin. The engine room covers at least ahead and abovethe engine. The disclosed engine room cooling structure includes an airduct which extends forward from the engine room to introduce engine roomcooling air into the engine room. The air duct is routed under a floorplate, and an under guard is provided at least below a rear portion ofthe air duct.

JP-A H8-268087 discloses an engine room ventilation structure, wherein avehicle has an engine room under a front floor; the vehicle has astorage room at its front end portion, where a spare tire carrier isdisposed; and the spare tire carrier is hollow to form an air path froma front surface of the vehicle to the engine room. The air path isrouted under the front floor; an exit of the air path is located underthe front floor; and an undercover is provided at least below the exitof the air path.

As described in JP-A 2008-44551, an air duct to introduce cooling airinto the engine room and an under guard to protect the air duct areprovided separately. Likewise, in JP-A H8-268087, an air path to theengine room and an undercover to protect the air path are providedseparately. Either case requires an increased number of parts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide vehicles in whichexternal air is introduced with a reduced number of parts.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a vehicleincludes a front wheel; a rear wheel provided at a more rearwardposition than the front wheel; a floor panel provided between the frontwheel and the rear wheel; an engine including a cylinder body andlocated rearward of the floor panel; and a shroud covering the cylinderbody. In this vehicle, the floor panel includes a panel main body; anopening provided at a front portion of the panel main body; and a grooveprovided in an upper surface of the panel main body so as to communicatewith the opening and extend in a fore-aft direction of the panel mainbody to supply external air from the opening to an interior of theshroud.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, externalair is introduced from the opening of the panel main body, flows throughthe groove which defines an external air introducing path, and issupplied into the shroud. In this structure, the opening and the grooveare located in the panel main body of the floor panel. In other words,the floor panel itself includes an external air introducing path.Therefore, there is no need to prepare a separate external airintroducing path provided by an individual member separate from thefloor panel. Also, the groove is defined by providing the panel mainbody with a downward recess in its upper surface, in particular, so thatthe recess opens in the upper surface, and not in the lower surface.Since the floor panel itself protects members which are locatedthereabove, there is no need to provide protection members below thegroove to protect the external air introducing path (the groove).Therefore, it is possible to introduce external air with a reducednumber of parts.

Preferably, the panel main body includes a first panel extending in thefore-aft direction between the front wheel and the rear wheel; and asecond panel located behind the front wheel and extending upward from afront end region of the first panel; the opening is located in thesecond panel; and the groove communicates with the opening and iscontinuous from the second panel to the first panel. By providing theopening in the second panel which extends upward, it is possible toefficiently introduce running wind as the external air from ahead of thevehicle into the groove.

Preferably, the vehicle further includes a lid which covers the groove.By covering the groove with the lid, it is possible to introduce theexternal air which flows through the groove more reliably toward therear, thus supplying the air easily into the shroud.

Further, preferably, the groove includes a side surface and the openingis located in the side surface. In this case, since the opening isprovided in the side surface of the groove, it is possible to reduce theentry of mud, sand, stones and other foreign matter into the opening andthen into the groove when they fly from ahead of the vehicle into thefront surface of the floor panel.

Preferably, the vehicle further includes a cover provided ahead of theopening. By providing the cover ahead of the opening, it is possible tofurther reduce the entry of mud, sand, stones and other foreign matterinto the opening and then into the groove when they fly from ahead ofthe vehicle into the front surface of the floor panel.

Preferably, the vehicle further includes a fan that supplies theexternal air from the groove into the shroud. In this case, the externalair from the groove is supplied into the shroud efficiently and smoothlyby the fan.

Preferably, the vehicle further includes a muffler that receives exhaustgas from the engine; and a muffler cover which covers the muffler andcommunicates with the shroud, and with the above structure, the muffleris located adjacent to the engine. By positioning the muffler next tothe engine, it is possible to shorten the length of an exhaust pipewhich allows the exhaust gas to move from the engine to the muffler.Further, by connecting the muffler cover which covers the muffler to theshroud, the external air is able to also flow through the groove to theinside of the muffler cover. Therefore, it is possible to cool not onlythe engine but also the muffler.

Preferably, the groove also allows the external air to be supplied intothe engine. In this case, the external air flows through the groove andis supplied not only into the shroud but also into the engine.Therefore, there is no need to separately provide an air intake path tosupply air into the engine.

Further preferably, the vehicle further includes an air intake duct thatfaces the groove and introduces the external air from the groove; and anair cleaner provided between the air intake duct and the engine to cleanthe external air from the air intake duct before supplying the externalair into the engine. By positioning the air intake duct to face thegroove, the external air from the groove is introduced to the aircleaner efficiently via the air intake duct, and after being cleaned bythe air cleaner, the external air is supplied smoothly into the engine.

According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, it ispossible to introduce external air with a reduced number of parts.

The above and other elements, features, steps, characteristics andadvantages of the present invention will become more apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments withreference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view (taken from left) showing a golf car according toa preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing the golf car according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view showing primary portions of a frame.

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view showing a portion of the frame, atransmission, and their surroundings.

FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view showing primary portions of the frameand a front cover.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the frame and its surroundings.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the frame, an undercover, and theirsurroundings.

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view showing the frame, a floor panel, andso on.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the frame, the floor panel, and so on.

FIG. 10A is an enlarged view showing an opening; FIG. 10B is an enlargedview showing a plate-shaped member; and FIG. 10C is an enlarged viewshowing a cover.

FIG. 11 is a front perspective view showing a primary portion of thegolf car.

FIG. 12 is a front perspective view showing a primary portion of thegolf car.

FIG. 13 is a rear perspective view showing a primary portion of the golfcar.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a primary portion of the golf car.

FIG. 15 is a side view (taken from left) showing the frame, the floorpanel, and so on.

FIG. 16 is a side view (taken from right) showing the frame, a groove,and so on, in a state where a portion of the floor panel on a side tothe right of the groove is removed.

FIG. 17 is a front view with a partial section taken along a line A-A inFIG. 15 to show an engine, a muffler, and their surroundings.

FIG. 18 is a plan view with a partial section taken along a line B-B inFIG. 15 to show the engine, the muffler, and their surroundings.

FIG. 19 is a plan view showing the engine, a muffler cover, and theirsurroundings.

FIG. 20 is a front perspective view showing the engine, the mufflercover, and their surroundings.

FIG. 21 is a rear perspective view showing the engine, the mufflercover, and their surroundings.

FIG. 22A is a front view with a partial section taken along a line C-Cin FIG. 14 to show a fuel tank; and FIG. 22B is a front view with apartial section which shows the fuel tank and its surroundings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the drawings. Herein, description will bemade in which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is appliedto a golf car 10 as an example of a vehicle. It is noted that the termsfront and rear, right and left, up and down as used in the followingdescription are determined from the golf car driver's position on a seat18 of the golf car 10, with the driver facing toward a steering wheel30.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the golf car 10 is, for example atwo-person golf car, and includes a pair of front wheels 12 a, 12 b (seeFIG. 9), a pair of rear wheels 14 a, 14 b, and a frame 16. The pair ofrear wheels 14 a, 14 b are located more rearward than the pair of frontwheels 12 a, 12 b. The pair of front wheels 12 a, 12 b are supportedrotatably at a front region of the frame 16. The pair of rear wheels 14a, 14 b are supported rotatably at a rear region of the frame 16.

The seat 18 extends in a width direction of the golf car 10 at a morerearward position than the pair of front wheels 12 a, 12 b, but at amore forward position than the pair of rear wheels 14 a, 14 b. The seat18 is supported by a seat rail 72 (which will be described below) of theframe 16. A seat back 20 is provided at an obliquely upward and rearwardposition of the seat 18. A basket 22 that accommodates baggage isprovided behind the seat back 20. The seat back 20 and the basket 22 aresupported by rear pillars 26 a, 26 b which will be described below.

A pair of front pillars 24 a, 24 b are provided at more forwardpositions than the seat 18, whereas a pair of rear pillars 26 a, 26 bare provided at more rearward positions than the seat 18. The frontpillars 24 a, 24 b and the rear pillars 26 a, 26 b are supported by theframe 16 at their lower end portions. The front pillars 24 a, 24 b andthe rear pillars 26 a, 26 b extend from below to above while tiltingslightly rearward. A roof 28 covers from above the seat 18, and issupported by the front pillars 24 a, 24 b and the rear pillars 26 a, 26b.

A steering wheel 30 is located ahead of the seat back 20. The steeringwheel 30 is connected to the front wheels 12 a, 12 b via a steeringshaft 32 and an unillustrated connection mechanism.

The frame 16 is covered with a cowl 34, a pair of side protectors 36, afloor panel 38, a body panel 39, a pair of rear fender covers 40 a, 40b, and a rear floor cover 42, each made of a resin, for example. Thecowl 34 covers the front region of the frame 16 and above the frontwheels 12 a, 12 b. The pair of side protectors 36 cover an intermediateregion of the frame 16 from two sides. The floor panel 38, which definesand functions as a footrest for the driver and the passenger sitting onthe seat 18 to rest their feet, provides a bottom portion of a cabinspace of the golf car 10. The body panel 39 covers a front region belowthe seat 18. The pair of rear fender covers 40 a, 40 b cover two sidesbelow the seat 18 and above the pair of rear wheels 14 a, 14 b. The rearfloor cover 42 is sandwiched by rear end portions of the pair of rearfender covers 40 a, 40 b, and includes a concave portion 42 a to placegolf bags, for example. Simply by removing the rear floor cover 42 only,it is possible to easily maintain a CVT (Continuously VariableTransmission) 144 (which will be described below) and a transmission 146(which will be described below). At a position above the concave portion42 a and behind the basket 22, there is provided a holder 44 that holdsthe golf bags. The holder 44 is supported by connectors 70 a, 70 b(which will be described below).

Next, a structure of the frame 16 and its surroundings will bedescribed.

Referring to FIG. 3 through FIG. 7, the frame 16 includes a pair of mainframes 46 a, 46 b which are spaced apart from each other in a widthdirection of the vehicle and extend in a fore-aft direction of thevehicle; cross members 52, 54, 56, 58, and a pair of support frames 60a, 60 b. The pair of main frames 46 a, 46 b respectively include frontframes 48 a, 48 b extending in the fore-aft direction; and rear frames50 a, 50 b extending rearward from rear end portions of the respectivefront frames 48 a, 48 b. The pair of front frames 48 a, 48 b areprovided so that their front end portions are closer to each other thantheir rear end portions do. The pair of rear frames 50 a, 50 b arecurved to project upward.

The front frames 48 a, 48 b are connected to each other by the crossmembers 52, 54. A portion where the front frame 48 a and the rear frame50 a are joined to each other and a portion where the front frame 48 band the rear frame 50 b are joined to each other are connected to eachother by the cross member 56. The rear frames 50 a, 50 b have their rearend portions connected to each other by the cross member 58. In otherwords, the main frames 46 a, 46 b are connected to each other by thecross members 52, 54, 56, 58 which extend in the vehicle widthdirection. The cross members 52, 54, 56, 58 are spaced apart from eachother in the vehicle fore-aft direction, and are disposed in this orderfrom the front to the rear of the vehicle. The cross member 52 is joinedto the pair of support frames 60 a, 60 b which extend obliquely forward.

The pair of support frames 60 a, 60 b have their front end portionssupport a cross member 62 which extends in the vehicle width direction.Near the cross member 54 in the pair of front frames 48 a, 48 b, a pairof support frames 64 a, 64 b which extend upward are joined. Also, thepair of rear frames 50 a, 50 b have their front portions connected toeach other by a connection frame 66. The pair of rear frames 50 a, 50 bhave their intermediate regions connected to each other by a connectionframe 68. The connection frame 66 extends in the vehicle widthdirection, with its two end portions extending downward to define anupwardly projecting U-shape. The connection frame 68 extends in thevehicle width direction, with its two end portions extending downward todefine an upwardly projecting U-shape. The connection frames 66 and 68are spaced apart from each other in the vehicle fore-aft direction, andare connected to each other by the connectors 70 a, 70 b. Further, thepair of support frames 64 a, 64 b include their upper end portions; theconnection frame 66 include two side portions; and these portions areconnected to each other by the seat rail 72. The seat rail 72 isC-shaped or substantially C-shaped and extend in a horizontal direction.To the cross member 54, a pair of brackets 74 a, 74 b are attached sideby side in the vehicle width direction.

Referring to FIG. 4, a pair of engine brackets 76 a, 76 b are joined tothe pair of brackets 74 a, 74 b. The engine brackets 76 a, 76 b areconnected to each other via a cross member 78. The cross member 78 isjoined to a support frame 79 which extends forward and support frames 80a, 80 b which extend rearward. The support frame 79 includes a tipportion including a projection 79 a. The support frames 80 a, 80 b havetheir respective rear end portions provided with through-holes 82 a, 82b (see FIG. 8). On the cross member 78 and the support frames 80 a, 80b, there is attached an engine bracket 84 to support an engine 114(which will be described later). The cross member 78 is pivotably joinedto the engine brackets 76 a, 76 b in an up-down direction. Accordingly,the engine bracket 84 is also pivotable in the up-down direction. Thecross member 56 is joined to a pair of frames 86 a, 86 b which extendrearward. The pair of frames 86 a, 86 b are connected to each other atregions near their rear end portions by a cross member 88. The pair offrames 86 a, 86 b have their rear end portions joined to the crossmember 58.

Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the frame 16 supports an undercover 90.The undercover 90 includes a front cover 92 and a rear cover 94respectively on its forward and rearward sides. The front cover 92 islocated between the cross members 54 and 56, and is attached to the pairof front frames 48 a and 48 b, and to the cross members 54 and 56. Therear cover 94 is located between the cross members 56 and 58, and isattached to the cross members 56 and 88, the frames 86 a, 86 b, and therear frames 50 a, 50 b. To the rear frames 50 a, 50 b, a pair of innercowls 95 (the inner cowl on the right side is not shown) are attachedrespectively. The pair of inner cowls 95 are located between the rearwheels 14 a, 14 b and the rear fender covers 40 a, 40 b to cover abovethe respective rear wheels 14 a, 14 b.

The undercover 90, the seat 18, the body panel 39, a heat insulationboard 176 (which will be described below), a fuel tank 168 (which willbe described below), the left and the right inner cowls 95, and the rearfloor cover 42 define a space as an engine room S. In other words, theengine room S is surrounded by the undercover 90, the seat 18, the bodypanel 39, the heat insulation board 176, the fuel tank 168, the left andthe right inner cowls 95, and the rear floor cover 42. In other words,on an under side, an upper side, a front side, a left side, a rightside, and a rear side of the engine room S, there are provided theundercover 90, the seat 18, the body panel 39, the heat insulation board176 and the left inner cowl 95, the fuel tank 168 and the right innercowl 95, and the rear floor cover 42, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the floor panel 38 is provided on thefront frames 48 a, 48 b and the cross member 62 of the frame 16. Thefloor panel 38 is provided between the pair of front wheels 12 a, 12 band the pair of rear wheels 14 a, 14 b. The floor panel 38 includes apanel main body 96, an opening 98, and a groove 100. The panel main body96 includes a first panel 102 extending horizontally or substantiallyhorizontally in the fore-aft direction between the front wheels 12 a, 12b and the rear wheels 14 a, 14 b; a second panel 104 provided behind thefront wheels 12 a, 12 b and extending upward from a front end region ofthe first panel 102; and third panels 106 a, 106 b extending rearwardfrom left and right rear end regions of the first panel 102. The firstpanel 102 is located ahead of the engine room S; the third panel 106 ais located on the left side of the engine room S; and the third panel106 b is located on the right side of the engine room S. Preferably, thesecond panel 104 rises obliquely forward from the front end region ofthe first panel 102. The opening 98 is located at a front region of thepanel main body 96, i.e., in the second panel 104 (see FIG. 10A). FIG.10A shows the opening 98 with hatching. The groove 100 communicates withthe opening 98 in order to supply external air which is introduced fromthe opening 98 into a shroud 132 (which will be described below) andinto the engine 114, is located on an upper surface of the panel mainbody 96, and extends in a fore-aft direction of the panel main body 96.The groove 100 is continuous from the second panel 104 to the firstpanel 102, provides communication between the opening 98 and the engineroom S, and is able to introduce a running wind from ahead of the golfcar 10 to the engine room S. Therefore, it is possible to cool theinside of the engine room S with the running wind from the opening 98via the groove 100. Further, the groove 100 is preferably located on aside closer to a passenger's seat (the other side of the driver's seat)than the center, in the vehicle width direction. In the presentpreferred embodiment, the groove 100 is located slightly to the right ofthe center in the vehicle width direction. The opening 98 is located ina side surface 100 a of the groove 100. Referring to FIGS. 10A and 10B,a plate-shaped member 108, which protrudes forward from a reversesurface (front surface) of the second panel 104, is provided on a sideof the opening 98. Also, referring to FIG. 10C, a rectangularplate-shaped cover 110, which is supported by the frame 16, is providedahead of the opening 98. Further, the groove 100 is covered by a lid 112(see FIG. 8). The lid 112 is defined by a strip-shaped and plate-shapedmember having a longitudinal shape of the groove 100.

Referring to FIG. 11 through FIG. 17, inside the engine room S, theengine bracket 84 supports the engine 114. The engine 114 is preferablyan air-cooled engine including a single cylinder, for example. Theengine 114 includes a fuel injector 115 which injects fuel into an airintake tube 126. The engine 114 is located behind the first panel 102 ofthe floor panel 38, and includes a cylinder head 116, a cylinder body118, and a crank case 120. The engine 114 is preferably tilted forward.An air cleaner 122 is provided above the engine 114. The air cleaner 122is joined to an air intake duct 124 via a joint 123. The air intake duct124 is located on the right side of the air cleaner 122, and includes acylindrical front duct 124 a and a noise-reducing rear duct 124 b havinga flattened shape. A rear end portion of the front duct 124 a and afront end portion of the rear duct 124 b are joined to each other. Inorder to introduce the external air from the groove 100, the front duct124 a faces the groove 100 from the engine room S, and a rear endportion of the rear duct 124 b is joined to the joint 123. Thus, the airintake duct 124 and the air cleaner 122 communicate with each other. Asindicated by Arrow X in FIG. 16, the external air, which is introducedfrom ahead and comes through the opening 98 and into the groove 100, isthen introduced into the air cleaner 122 from the groove 100 via the airintake duct 124. Then, after being cleaned by the air cleaner 122, theair is supplied, via the air intake tube 126, into the engine 114. Asdescribed above, the air cleaner 122 is provided between the air intakeduct 124 and the engine 114. Inside the engine room S, a muffler 128 isprovided adjacent to a side (on the left side in the present preferredembodiment) of the engine 114. The engine 114 and the muffler 128 arejoined to each other via an exhaust pipe 130. Exhaust gas from theengine 114 is supplied to the muffler 128 via the exhaust pipe 130.

The cylinder body 118 of the engine 114 is covered by the shroud 132,with an air-flowable gap between the cylinder body 118 and the shroud132. A fan case 134 is provided on a side surface (on the right sidesurface in the present preferred embodiment) of the engine 114. Theshroud 132 and the fan case 134 are connected to each other. Inside thefan case 134, there is provided a fan 136 that supplies the external airfrom the groove 100 into the shroud 132 (between the shroud 132 and theengine 114). The fan 136 is preferably connected to a crank shaft 142(see FIG. 18) and driven thereby. Also, the muffler 128 is covered by amuffler cover 138 so that an air-flowable gap is provided between themuffler 128 and the muffler cover 138. The muffler cover 138 ispreferably made of a resin, for example, and is provided with aninsulation member on its inner surface, for example, and has asubstantially rectangular tubular upper portion and a substantiallycylindrical lower portion. The shroud 132 and the muffler cover 138communicate with each other via a duct 139 which covers the exhaust pipe130. It should be noted here that FIG. 11, FIG. 12, FIG. 20, and FIG. 21do not show the duct 139. An exhaust duct 140 is connected to an exitend portion of the muffler cover 138. The exhaust duct 140 includes arear end portion exposed to the outside via an opening 92 a of the frontcover 92 (see FIG. 7 and FIG. 20). The muffler cover 138 is supported bythe support frame 79 (see FIG. 4 and FIG. 11), as the projection 79 a ofthe support frame 79 is inserted through a hole 141 a of a bracket 141attached on a side surface of the muffler cover 138. As indicated byArrow Y in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, the external air which is introducedinto the shroud 132 by the fan 136 flows between the shroud 132 and theengine 114 (the cylinder body 118), into the muffler cover 138 (betweenthe muffler cover 138 and the muffler 128), and defines a cooling windto cool the engine 114 and the muffler 128. Then, the air inside themuffler cover 138 flows through the exhaust duct 140 and is dischargedfrom the opening 92 a of the front cover 92 to the outside below theengine room S.

Referring also to FIG. 18 through FIG. 21, an output from the crankshaft 142 of the engine 114 is transmitted via the CVT 144 to thetransmission 146. The CVT 144 is located behind the muffler 128, whereasthe transmission 146 is located behind the engine 114 between the pairof rear wheels 14 a, 14 b.

Referring also to FIG. 4, the transmission 146 is joined to a pair ofrotation transmission portions 148 a, 148 b. The rotation transmissionportion 148 a extends to the left of the transmission 146, and includesa constant-velocity joint 150 a, a drive shaft 152 a, aconstant-velocity joint 154 a, and an axle 156 a. The transmission 146includes an output shaft (not illustrated) connected to the drive shaft152 a by the constant-velocity joint 150 a, whereas the drive shaft 152a and the axle 156 a are connected to each other by theconstant-velocity joint 154 a. The rotation transmission portion 148 bextends to the right of the transmission 146, and includes aconstant-velocity joint 150 b, a drive shaft 152 b, a constant-velocityjoint 154 b, and an axle 156 b. The transmission 146 includes an outputshaft connected to the drive shaft 152 b by the constant-velocity joint150 b, whereas the drive shaft 152 b and the axle 156 b are connected toeach other by the constant-velocity joint 154 b. The axle 156 a supportsthe rear wheel 14 a, whereas the axle 156 b supports the rear wheel 14b. It should be noted here that the through-hole 82 a at the rear endportion of the support frame 80 a is penetrated by the output shaft ofthe transmission 146 between the transmission 146 and theconstant-velocity joint 150 a, whereas the through-hole 82 b at the rearend portion of the support frame 80 b is penetrated by the output shaftof the transmission 146 between the transmission 146 and theconstant-velocity joint 150 b (see FIG. 13).

Also, the pair of rear wheels 14 a, 14 b are suspended by a pair ofsuspensions 158 a, 158 b. In the present preferred embodiment, the pairof suspensions 158 a, 158 b are preferably independent suspensionsystems. The pair of suspensions 158 a, 158 b include knuckles 160 a,160 b, arms 162 a, 162 b, and shock absorbers 164 a, 164 b respectively.The knuckle 160 a rotatably supports the axle 156 a. The arm 162 aconnects a lower portion of the knuckle 160 a and the frame 86 a to eachother. The shock absorber 164 a includes a lower end portion and anupper end portion respectively joined to an upper end portion of theknuckle 160 a and to the connection frame 68. Likewise, the knuckle 160b rotatably supports the axle 156 b. The arm 162 b connects a lowerportion of the knuckle 160 b and the frame 86 b to each other. The shockabsorber 164 b includes a lower end portion and an upper end portionrespectively joined to an upper end portion of the knuckle 160 b and tothe connection frame 68.

Referring to FIG. 12, the pair of front wheels 12 a, 12 b are suspendedby a pair of suspensions 166 a, 166 b attached to the front region ofthe frame 16. In the present preferred embodiment, the pair ofsuspensions 166 a, 166 b are preferably independent suspension systems.

Referring to FIG. 14 and FIG. 17, the fuel tank 168 is located on theright side of the engine 114 and on the third panel 106 b of the floorpanel 38. Between the engine 114 and the fuel tank 168, a soundabsorbing member 170 is provided and attached to a side surface of thefuel tank 168. Also, a battery 172 is located on the left of the mufflercover 138 and on the third panel 106 a of the floor panel 38. Betweenthe muffler cover 138 and the battery 172, a two-ply structure made of asound absorbing member 174 and the heat insulation board 176 isprovided. It is possible with the sound absorbing members 170 and 174 toabsorb noise from the engine room S, whereas it is possible with theheat insulation board 176 to reduce heat conduction from the engine roomS to the battery 172.

Referring to FIGS. 22A and 22B, the fuel tank 168 includes a tank mainbody 178; a fuel catch 180 which is fitted around a neck portion 178 aof the tank main body 178 to surround the neck portion 178 a; and a cap182 which is attached to an upper end region of the neck portion 178 a.The fuel catch 180 includes a bottom surface 180 a which is slanted toextend outwardly and downwardly in the vehicle width direction, and anopening 180 b which is located on an outer side in the vehicle widthdirection.

With the fuel tank 168 described above, it is possible to catch spilledfuel with the fuel catch 180 at a time of fueling. The fuel caught inthe fuel catch 180 comes out of the opening 180 b, flows along an outerside surface of the tank main body 178, then along the third panel 106b, and then is discharged outside. Therefore, it is possible with thisstructure to prevent spilled fuel from soaking into the sound absorbingmember 170 or remaining on the undercover 90 (particularly on the frontcover 92). In other words, spilled fuel flows as indicated by Arrow F1in FIGS. 22A and 22B, but does not flow as indicated by Arrow F2 in FIG.22B. It should be noted here that the fuel catch 180 may be providedwith a discharge pipe to discharge the fuel from the fuel catch 180through the discharge pipe to the outside.

According to preferred embodiments of the golf car 10 described above,external air is introduced from the opening 98 of the panel main body96, flows through the groove 100 which defines an external airintroducing path, and then is supplied to the inside of the shroud 132.With this structure, the opening 98 and the groove 100 are located inthe panel main body 96 of the floor panel 38; in other words, the floorpanel 38 itself includes an external air introducing path. Therefore,there is no need to provide a separate external air introducing pathwith an individual member separate from the floor panel 38. Also, thegroove 100 is defined by providing the panel main body 96 with adownward recess in its upper surface, i.e., so that the recess opens inthe upper surface, and not in the lower surface. Since the floor panel38 itself protects members which are located thereabove, there is noneed to provide protection members to protect the external airintroducing path (the groove 100) below the groove 100. Therefore, it ispossible to introduce external air with a reduced number of parts.

By providing the opening 98 in the second panel 104 which extendsupward, it is possible to efficiently introduce running wind as theexternal air from ahead of the golf car 10 into the groove 100.

By covering the groove 100 with the lid 112, it is possible to introducethe external air which flows through the groove 100 more reliably towardthe rear, thus supplying the air easily into the shroud 132.

Since the opening 98 is located in the side surface 100 a of the groove100, it is possible to reduce the entry of mud, sand, stones and otherforeign matter into the opening 98 and then into the groove 100 whenthey fly from ahead of the golf car 10 into the front surface of thefloor panel 38.

By providing the cover 110 ahead of the opening 98, it is possible tofurther reduce the entry of mud, sand, stones and other foreign matterinto the opening 98 and then into the groove 100 when they fly fromahead of the golf car 10 into the front surface of the floor panel 38.

The external air from the groove 100 is supplied into the shroud 132efficiently and smoothly by the fan 136.

By positioning the muffler 128 next to the engine 114, it is possible toshorten the length of the exhaust pipe 130 which allows exhaust gas tomove from the engine 114 to the muffler 128. Further, by connecting themuffler cover 138, which covers the muffler 128, to the shroud 132, theexternal air is able to also flow through the groove 100 to the insideof the muffler cover 138. Therefore, it is possible to cool not only theengine 114 but also the muffler 128.

Since the external air which flows through the groove 100 is suppliednot only into the shroud 132 but also into the engine 114, there is noneed to separately provide an air intake path to supply air into theengine 114.

By positioning the air intake duct 124 to face the groove 100, externalair from the groove 100 is introduced to the air cleaner 122 efficientlyvia the air intake duct 124, and after being cleaned by the air cleaner122, the external air is supplied smoothly into the engine 114.

In the preferred embodiments described above, description was made of agolf car. However, the present invention is not limited to this.Preferred embodiments of the present invention are applicable to anyother vehicle.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will beapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scopeand spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention,therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A vehicle comprising: a front wheel; a rearwheel provided at a more rearward position than the front wheel; a floorpanel provided between the front wheel and the rear wheel; an engineincluding a cylinder body and located rearward of the floor panel; and ashroud covering the cylinder body; wherein the floor panel includes: apanel main body; an opening provided at a front portion of the panelmain body; and a groove provided in an upper surface of the panel mainbody to communicate with the opening and extend in a fore-aft directionof the panel main body to supply external air from the opening into theshroud.
 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the panel main bodyincludes a first panel extending in the fore-aft direction between thefront wheel and the rear wheel, and a second panel located behind thefront wheel and extending upward from a front end region of the firstpanel; the opening is located in the second panel; and the groovecommunicates with the opening and is continuous from the second panel tothe first panel.
 3. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprisinga lid that covers the groove.
 4. The vehicle according to claim 1,wherein the groove includes a side surface, and the opening is locatedin the side surface.
 5. The vehicle according to claim 1, furthercomprising a cover located forward of the opening.
 6. The vehicleaccording to claim 1, further comprising a fan that supplies theexternal air from the groove into the shroud.
 7. The vehicle accordingto claim 1, further comprising: a muffler that receives exhaust gas fromthe engine; and a muffler cover that covers the muffler and communicateswith the shroud; wherein the muffler is located adjacent to the engine.8. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the groove also suppliesthe external air into the engine.
 9. The vehicle according to claim 8,further comprising: an air intake duct that faces the groove andintroduces the external air from the groove; and an air cleaner providedbetween the air intake duct and the engine to clean the external airfrom the air intake duct before the external air is supplied into theengine.